UK Challenges Flashcards
(173 cards)
1
Q
Current population of the UK
A
Over 64 million
2
Q
What causes the population to increase?
A
A combination of natural increase and migration
3
Q
What is a political issue that divides opinion across the UK?
A
Immigration
4
Q
What does immigration put pressure on?
A
The resources of the UK
5
Q
What is the population of the UK predicted to be by 2035? What is it supposed to be by 2050?
A
70 million
85 million
6
Q
What will an increasing population need? (6) What will this put strain on?
A
Housing Education Employment Power Food Water Resources
7
Q
What will there need to be a growth in for the UK to meet the needs of a growing population? (4)
A
Energy production
New housing
Schools
Hospitals
8
Q
What may an increase in food production lead to an increase in?
A
Agribusiness in the UK or food imported in larger quantities
9
Q
What could the expansion of agribusiness lead to a reduction of?
A
Habitats eg through destruction of hedgerows
10
Q
Why are hedgerows destroyed?
A
To provide larger fields
11
Q
What will the need for housing put more pressure on local and national governments to release?
A
Greenfield sites
12
Q
What does the use of green belt land for housing destroy?
A
Open spaces
13
Q
How does building on greenfield sites prevent drainage?
A
More impermeable surfaces preventing drainage and causing increased surface runoff and erosion
14
Q
Where could new housing be built?
A
On floodplains
Greenfield and brownfield sites
15
Q
What would housing being built on floodplains increase the likelihood of?
A
Flooding, causing more surface runoff
16
Q
What will increased water demand put pressure on? What will this result in?
A
Local water systems through increased consumption and water treatment requirements
17
Q
What could increase greenhouse gas emissions?
A
Increased use of fossil fuels
18
Q
What do greenhouse gas emissions lead to?
A
Climate change
19
Q
The use of what could help stop greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change?
A
Alternative, sustainable energy sources
20
Q
What could be done to meet increased demand for energy in the UK?
A
Choosing alternative, sustainable energy sources
Increased energy conservation
21
Q
What would allow more greenfield land to be used for farming and habitats?
A
Building at higher densities
Using brownfield sites for new home building instead of greenfield sites
22
Q
What could reduce greenhouse emissions from increased energy demands?
A
Switching to alternative energy sources
23
Q
What could reduce the risk and impact of flooding?
A
Managing river catchments
24
Q
What will educating people on conservation of resources do?
A
Reduce energy demands in homes and businesses
25
How to boost domestic water sources
Find new water sources
| Reduce wastage and leaks
26
What is responsible for a significant amount of the UK’s energy consumption? What in particular?
Transport
| Fossil fuel
27
What is the consumption of fossil fuels a key contributor to? What causes health problems?
Global climate
| Air pollution
28
What will encourage people to leave cars at home?
Improving public transport systems
29
Why will improving public transport help climate warming?
Buses, trams and trains use less fuel per head than private cars in most circumstances
Eg commuter trains are especially efficient in high density cities
30
What encourages people to not drive?
Creation of cycle routes and highways
| Making public access to bicycles easier
31
What do car sharing schemes do?
Encourage commuters to share car journeys to reduce the number of cars on the road and the amount of fuel used
Reduces pollution
32
What are hybrid or electric cars examples of?
Reduced or zero emission vehicles
33
What do hybrid or electric cars reduce the impact of?
The vehicle on air quality
34
What is the congestion charge in London an example of?
A specific scheme used within the UK to make transport more sustainable
35
How many people die in London each year due to the effects of air pollution?
9500
36
What was introduced in London to reduce congestion and pollution?
Congestion charge
37
When was the London congestion charge introduced?
2003
38
% decrease of London traffic levels since the congestion charge has been introduced
10.2%
39
What has reduced in the congestion charge zone?
Greenhouse gas emissions
40
% decrease of pollutants that have had an adverse affect on air quality and health of Londoners since congestion charge
12%
41
In 2010, how many deaths were caused in London by air pollution?
9400
42
Two speed economy
Economic growth within the UK is not uniform across the whole country
43
Where is economic growth highest in the UK?
London
| South east of England
44
Where is economic growth slower?
Northern parts of England and Scotland
| Western areas of England and Wales
45
What are evidence of significant investment and growth in the south east?
Large construction projects in and around the capital eg the Shard
New transport systems such as the Crossrail
46
What is one effect of economic growth in London and the south east?
More and more people are moving or commuting long distances south from areas such as Yorkshire to work
47
What does people moving to the south east reduce?
The locally available workforce
| Business investment in the north
48
Where are house prices rising fastest?
London
| The south east
49
What are the current economic policies not helping regenerate?
The more northern and western parts of the UK
50
What are current solutions to improve the North and South focused on?
Transportation to improve mobility of people, goods and skills
51
What is the High Speed Rail 2?
A railway between London and northern cities
| The construction will take place outside the capital and therefore generate most jobs away from London
52
What will investing in better transport to improve the movement of workers and freight across the north result in?
It being easier for new businesses to set up and move their goods
53
What will encourage travel and investment from abroad?
Improvements in connections to northern airports eg Manchester
54
What will ‘smart tickets’ make easier?
Transport links
| More attractive for people to use
55
What is needed to cope with a rising population and provide for economic development?
New housing, industry and transportation links
56
What two sites could be built on?
Greenfield
| Brownfield
57
Advantages of greenfield sites
Cheap
Faster house building
Layout not hampered by previous development so can easily be made efficient and pleasant
Healthier environment
58
Disadvantages of greenfield sites
Valuable farm or recreational land lost
Wildlife and habitats lost or disturbed, partly due to more noise and light pollution
Often far from work and services, generating more traffic
Encourages suburban sprawl
59
Brownfield sites advantages
Reduces loss of countryside and land that might be put to agricultural or recreational use
Helps revive old and disused urban areas
Services such as water, gas and sewage already in place
Located nearer to main areas of employment, commuting reduced
60
Brownfield sites
More expensive- old buildings must be cleared and land cleaned of pollutants
Surrounded by rundown areas so doesn’t always appeal to wealthy people as a residential location
Higher levels of pollution
61
When is HS2 expected to be fully completed? What will it’s total cost be?
2033
| £43 billion
62
Net migration
The difference between the number of people entering a country and leaving a country
63
Why is the UK’s net migration currently positive?
More people permanently enter than leave
64
% of UK’s population that comes from net migration
50%
65
Why is the accuracy of migration statistics debatable?
Do not include everyone entering or leaving the country eg:
Travellers on holidays or business trips who are only in the UK temporarily
People entering the UK illegally and those without travel papers
People who have left but are not shown in the statistics
66
What are economic migrants?
People who move in search of better job opportunities
67
Reasons why people migrate
Jobs
Join family
Study
Retire
68
% of migrants to UK in 2014 who were fleeing war, persecution or disaster
4%
69
What age groups are most immigrants and emigrants in?
25-44
70
What does immigration offer businesses and the government?
An increase in workers who help the economy grow and pay taxes
Bring useful skills
71
What is migration good for improving?
Multicultural aspects of society so we learn about different ideas and cultures
72
What will migration balance in the longer term?
The UK’s ageing population
73
What do some local governments feel migration puts pressure on?
Local services such as health, school places and housing
74
Why are some policial parties against the idea of economic migrants coming to the UK?
They believe economic migrants can take jobs that would otherwise have gone to British workers or make use of the UK’s social benefits scheme
75
What do almost all policial parties agree about refugees?
They should be allowed to move to the UK to find safety from conflict, persecution or natural disasters
76
When were the first UK National Parks set up?
1951
77
How many National Parks are there in the UK?
15
78
Why were National Parks set up?
To protect areas of beautiful countryside, cultural heritage, wildlife and habitat
79
What does each National Park Authority produce?
A five year National Park Management Plan
80
What is the National Park Management Plan made in collaboration with?
Local landowners
Communities
Organisations
81
Why was the National Park Management Plan made?
To help develop the parks sustainably
82
Examples of strategies in the National Park Management Plan
```
Conservation apprentices
Change transport habits
More sustainable energy sources
Converting old farm buildings
Funds to small businesses
Training and environmental audits
```
83
Why are conservation apprentices being created?
To encourage young people to continue living in the rural areas, maintaining traditional countryside management methods and addressing youth unemployment
84
Why are people being encouraged to change their transport habits?
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions from tourists travelling to, in and form National Parks
85
Why are old farm buildings being converted into new business premises?
Provide more employment in National Parks
86
Why are funds being provided to small businesses in National Parks?
Create job stability and encourage further investment
87
Conservation organisations that work with the National Park authorities
National Trust
English Heritage
RSPB
Woodland Trust
88
How many UK properties are at risk from flooding today? What will this increase to?
330,000
| Increase to between 630,000 and 1.2 million by 2080
89
What will increase flood hazard from rivers and flash flooding?
Increasing population
Changes in land use
Climate change
90
Why will an increasing population increase flood hazards?
More people are affected by flooding including in new developments built on flood plains
91
Why will changes in land use increase flood hazards?
More impermeable surfaces increases surface runoff
92
Why will climate change increase flood hazards?
More extreme rainfall events
93
How is flood risk managed?
Controlling development in flood plains
| Making impacts of flooding less serious
94
How are floods made less likely?
Controlling development in flood plains, building flood defences (hard engineering) and managing rivers and land use (soft engineering)
95
How are the impacts of flooding made less serious?
Helping people prepare for flooding and giving flood warnings
96
When were the Somerset floods?
2013-14
97
Why is Somerset prone to flooding?
Low lying
| Crossed by several rivers
98
How was flood risk reduced in Somerset?
The River Tone was diverted to a new embanked channel in the Middle Ages
More recently embankments have been built on the River Parrett and dredged to remove silt
99
What caused the Somerset floods?
Very heavy rainfall throughout the winter of 2013-2014
100
How many hectares of land were flooded in Somerset?
7000
101
How many houses were flooded in Somerset? Where were they mainly?
Over 600
| small rural settlements
102
What did local people in Somerset complain about the flood defences?
Flood defences were not good enough and only protected nearby towns
103
What did the local people in Somerset claim had made the rivers Parrett and Tone unable to contain the massive volumes of water?
Silt
104
Why was the Environment Agency blamed?
For not dredging the rivers Parrett and Tone
105
What did the Environment Agency blame?
Lack of funds
106
Why were farmers blamed for the Somerset floods?
Poor land management that allowed rain to run off their land, eroding soil and clogging up drainage channels
107
Hard engineering techniques to prevent flooding
```
Dams and reservoirs
Raise levees
Dredge river beds
Channelisation
Concrete walls
```
108
Soft engineering techniques to prevent flooding
Afforestation in the drainage basin
Land use zonation
Allow natural flooding
109
After the Somerset floods, what was planned to happen?
Tidal barrier
Improvements to relief channels
More regular dredging
Permanent pumping stations to remove flood water
110
Why will Somerset be at greater risk of coastal flooding in the future?
Sea level rise
111
What can coastal flooding have a huge impact on?
Homes, businesses and farmland
112
What is coastal flooding often the result of?
Storm surges
113
What are storm surges?
When sea levels are significantly higher than normal
114
What causes storm surges?
A combination of high tides, low atmospheric pressure and strong winds
115
Why can coastal surges cause flooding?
They often overwhelm coastal defences, which are designed to prevent coastal erosion and not coastal flooding
116
When were the storm surges in East England and Scotland?
December 2013
117
What was done to prevent flooding from the storm surge?
The Thames Flood Barrier was raised in advance of the storm to protect the high value land in London
Temporary flood barriers were erected in areas such as Norfolk
118
Why were people told to avoid contact with the flood water during the storm surges?
Possible contamination from farm chemicals and sewage
| Possibility of rats moving into people’s homes after the floodwater had receded
119
Due to flood protections in place, combined with prediction and warning systems, how many homes in England were protected from the storm surge?
800,000
120
What can be used to make prevent flooding in coastal areas as well as coastal erosion?
Sea walls
121
Disadvantages of a sea wall
Hard engineering, expensive
| Need to be maintained
122
Why is managed retreat sometimes better than a sea wall?
If sea levels rise and a sea wall broke, a significantly higher volume of water would flood onto the land, causing even more destruction
123
What is managed retreat?
When low lying land is allowed to flood up to a newly built flood defence built on higher land
124
What will managed retreat result in?
Salt marshes in the newly flooded areas
125
What will salt marshes act as?
Natural defences and habitats for wildlife
126
Where will managed retreat only work?
Areas of low quality farmland and low density population
127
How many times has the Thames Flood Barrier been raised?
Over 175 times
128
Why is the Thames Flood Barrier being used more frequently?
Climate change
129
What do climate scientists use to work out the effects of rising temperature on the atmosphere and oceans?
Computer modelling
130
What will change in the UK due to climate change?
Our temperate climate
131
What do climate scientists also need to consider due to climate change?
Possible changes to greenhouse gas emissions
132
What do greenhouse gas emissions depend on?
Factors such as population growth and development
| Changes to energy use and technology
133
Why do the computer models set out a range of possible future climates?
What will happen due to climate change is uncertain
134
What is significant about significant volcanic eruptions in the 21st century?
Nobody knows if they will affect the climate
135
How much have UK average temperatures increased by in the last 100 years?
1 degrees Celsius
136
What season had the most temperature increase in the UK?
Summer more than winter
137
By 2080, how much are winter temperatures likely to rise by in the UK?
2-4 degrees Celsius in different parts of the UK
| Average range of 3-10 degrees Celsius
138
By 2080, how much are summer temperatures likely to rise by in the UK?
3-5 degrees Celsius
| Average range of 15-22 degrees Celsius
139
What does computer modelling suggest about precipitation?
Winters will become wetter and summers drier
| Extreme rainfall will be more frequent and intense
140
How much wetter will the UK be in summer?
15-30%
141
How much drier is the UK expected to be in summer?
15-30%
142
What will changes to precipitation result in?
More extreme flash floods and river flooding
143
What will rising sea levels increase the risk of?
Coastal flooding
144
Why will flood hazard increase?
Increasing UK population
| Pressure on land on flood plains for development eg housing
145
How is the annual cost of flood damage supposed to rise?
From £2 billion to £12 billion by 2080
146
What will increase the risk of drought?
Warmer and drier summers
147
Why will warmer and drier summer increase the risk of drought?
Lower rainfall and increased evaporation
148
What will lower rainfall and increased evaporation result in?
Less water in rivers, soil and groundwater
149
What will less water in rivers, soil and groundwater lead to?
Water deficits and threats to water security for a growing population, agriculture and industry
150
What areas of the UK will be particularly vulnerable to water security threats?
London and the South East
151
Why will London and the South East be particularly vulnerable?
Drier areas
| High population densities
152
Why will there be pressure on the NHS?
More frequent summer heatwaves
153
Why will more frequent heatwaves put pressure on the NHS?
People will suffer from the effects of high temperatures
154
How will ecosystems be affected by climate change?
Many plants and animals will have to try to adapt while already under pressure from human activities
Some species many become extinct or migrate
155
Where will some species migrate to?
Cooler areas
156
What will some species experience competition from?
Non-native species moving to the UK
157
What will drought cause in other parts of the world?
Reduced food supply and increased food prices
158
Who may wish to migrate to Europe?
Climate change refugees
159
What is it impossible to predict about climate change?
The changes that will occur
| The specific impact it will have
160
On a local scale, what changes can be made to reduce climate change?
Individuals and families can make changes to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and resource consumption
161
What actions can be made on a local scale to address climate change? (5)
Walking or cycling to reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions
Locally produced food rather than imported
Recycling
Installing insulation and double glazing to reduce heat loss in the home so that heating systems don’t need to be used constantly
Installing solar panels to generate energy in the home
162
On a national scale, what changes can be made to reduce climate change?
Governments can launch campaigns or legislation
163
What will government campaigns or legislations encourage people to do? (3)
Recycle
Reduce resource consumption
Limit carbon emissions from industry and agriculture
164
What do national governments face pressure to increase?
Economic growth
165
What could an increase in economic growth involve?
Greater consumption of resources
166
What does the pressure to increase economic growth make it difficult to do?
Strike a balance between the need for environmental concern and the need to encourage economic development among businesses
167
Why do some cities in the UK use significantly more energy than others across the world?
A larger city will consume more energy resources and need more food and water supplies
168
What does a city needing more food and water supplies and consuming more energy resources lead to an increase of?
Greater demand for energy and greater emissions of carbon dioxide
169
How could governments try to address the issue of urban sprawl?
Legislation
170
Why could legislation to address the issue of urban sprawl be very unpopular with voters?
It could be viewed as trying to stop businesses from developing
171
What is vital on an international scale to combat global climate change?
Cooperation between different governments
172
What problems do international plans to reduce climate change have? (2)
Balancing the need for economic development with the need for environmental conservation
Allow economies to grow without limitations on production of pollutants
173
Why do governments need to have pollutants?
To increase industrial production
